Sheltered Literacy Lesson: The SIOP model for sheltered instruction

Entry #8

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) for lessons explicitly defines key components that align with best practices in the classroom. Because of this alignment, sheltered lessons benefit all students even though the lesson is targeting English language learners (ELLs) and special education students. A SIOP lesson includes 27 key components within eight categories. The categories are preparation, building background knowledge, comprehensible input, strategies, interaction, practice/application, lesson delivery, and review/assessment.  The teacher must differentiate the instructional methods during the lesson in order to include the 27 key components and make the lesson meaningful to ELLs.

Within the first key category, preparation, the teacher must clearly define content and language objectives that are age appropriate. The teacher must also use supplementary materials to make the lesson clear and meaningful and include authentic activities that integrate lesson objectives and language practice as students learn content. Teachers must explicitly teach vocabulary and use realia, props, and pictures to help clarify meaning. In the model lesson, Miss Miller took her elementary students to the farm and helped them pick and identify different types of veggies. Throughout the lesson, she shows her students pictures of the farm, plastic models of veggies, real veggies from her garden, and pictures of veggies.

When building background, the teacher must start the lesson at the students’ level and build upon their schema. The key vocabulary must be emphasized while making clear connections between the students’ past learning and experiences and the new concepts. Miss Miller exemplified this practice by first asking, “Remember when we went veggie picking at the farm?” Then, she shows her students pictures from their visit. The students respond by repeating some of the words like “wagon” and “lettuce” and other names of vegetables. Every time a vocabulary word is used, Miss Miller presents some sort of realia. She also uses a song to differentiate instruction through the multiple intelligences.

According to Echevarria, Vogt, and Short (2002), comprehensible input means the teacher must speak in a way to accommodate students’ proficiency level. The teacher must implement a variety of instructional methods to do this. Miss Miller speaks simply to her students. “We went on a wagon ride.” “We went to the field and picked some veggies.” If the students cannot hear or understand what the teacher is saying, then students cannot learn.  Clear expectations and directions with picture support results in less student confusion and more on-task behavior. At the end of the lesson, students respond in kind to Miss Miller with simple phrases such as, “I like yogurt,” and “I like cheese.”

The fourth category in the SIOP model for teaching language content effectively is all about strategies. Teachers must provide ample opportunities for students to use strategies such as mnemonic devices, two-column notes, and repeated readings, just to name a few. Teachers must both consistently scaffold lessons and employ a variety of questioning strategies. During her model lesson, Miss Miller does a great job scaffolding the lesson. Students’ background knowledge is activated with pictures of their visit to the farm. Then, Miss Miller allows students to touch and feel real veggies from her own garden. She continues to help students build upon their schema by explaining that when veggies leave the farm, they go to the grocery store. At this point, Miss Miller names several popular grocery stores and shows students grocery bags from each store. This appeared to be new information. After the students sing a song they know about going to the market, Miss Miller poses the question, “What do you like?” and students respond with “I like vegetables,” or simply, “cheese.” Miss Miller then gives one student a choice, “Which do you like: fish or apples?” This is an excellent example of scaffolding to help students expand their knowledge from an appropriate starting point.

For students to succeed through the SIOP model, teachers must provide frequent opportunities for interaction and discussion, group students to support language and content objectives, and consistently give students sufficient wait time. Through repeated practice and ample opportunities to interact, students become more confident. During the work time, students should be doing the majority of the speaking, writing, and collaborating.  Teachers should model the expectations for work time and re-teach lessons when necessary, but students should be working harder than the teacher. If students are not speaking, they are not growing and acquiring language. These best practices in the classroom also tie directly with the next key category: practice and application. Miss Miller gives sufficient wait time by making sure she shows each picture and vegetable to every child. Students also have multiple opportunities to respond and share during the lesson.

Miss Miler provides an exemplary model of lesson delivery. She has her students engaged 90 – 100% of the lesson, and doesn’t allow the students downtime. She also appropriately paces the lesson to her students’ ability level. Although the video does not show the first or final components of the SIOP model for sheltered instruction (preparation and review/assessment), she probably did this outside of the recorded portion of the lesson.

During this model SIOP lesson, Miss Miller gives her ELA and special education students numerous access points to allow them to construct meaning.  Throughout the lesson, she uses a variety of realia: plastic props, real vegetables, plastic bags, and pictures.  She speaks slowly, clearly, and simply so her students can understand. Students are encouraged to use multiple senses and multiple intelligences to build their schema and respond. Miss Miller frames her questions in a variety of ways so all of her students can be engaged in the lesson. When responding to Miss Miller’s questions, students could either point to items they like or share verbally.  This SIOP lesson is exemplary because it includes most of the key categories and key components necessary for student academic achievement.

View Miss Miller’s model SIOP Lesson here.

Sources:

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2000). Making content comprehensible to English language learners: The SIOP model sheltered instruction for Academic Achievement. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Press.